If you can see the green dot, I'm online ;-)

Actually lockdown like concept isn't necessary at least for extended periods if the public themselves use their common sense.
If one isn't feeling well, best is to self-quarantine at home even if its an occasional sneeze, cough, cold, viral symptoms etc. If we stick to such basic routines, on the road only healthy people can be seen roaming.
But unfortunately its the human tendency and attitude which kills this and everyone feels I'M OK and FINE and this leads to the spread of any type of infections.

Even today when I go out, I see few over-smart people riding and walking around as if others are idiots who are wearing masks. So due to such portion of morons and irresponsible idiots the good has always to suffer.

Member

Actually lockdown like concept isn't necessary at least for extended periods if the public themselves use their common sense.

If one isn't feeling well, best is to self-quarantine at home even if its an occasional sneeze, cough, cold, viral symptoms etc. If we stick to such basic routines, on the road only healthy people can be seen roaming.

But unfortunately its the human tendency and attitude which kills this and everyone feels I'M OK and FINE and this leads to the spread of any type of infections. Even today when I go out, I see few over-smart people riding and walking around as if others are idiots who are wearing masks. So due to such portion of morons and irresponsible idiots the good has always to suffer.

Well-Known Member

I think every one who wants the lockdown to be extended think like kids - amateurishly. They have no sense how things work in real day to day scenarios.

Let me explain this in very easy terms. This is a virus the entire world is fighting. It is a natural calamity. It has many vectors of transmission like air, animals etc. So trying to stop it is like trying to stop a cyclone with an umbrella.
Let me ask you one question. How long should the lockdown run? Till May? June? July? December 2020? Will the virus say, oh, the lockdown is only till April 14th or May 1st and I will stop infecting people after that date and go away quietly? yeah? What I'm asking is if this current lockdown till April 14th has not made any difference, what is the guarantee extending it will do any better? Do you have any guarantee it will work? Are you willing to bet your hard earned money on it? Will new infections stop after April 14th or May or whatever new date the govt and their experts thinks of next? Met dept cant get right dates of monsoon. You think people can get right things you cannot see?

How long will you sit at home without work? How long before daily necessities run out even in large cities? Will you still sit at home when you stop getting food or other stuff?
Every one in the city is dependent on others for food and water etc. Lets say for a moment that every road coming to the city was blocked and all transport coming inside was stopped at the city boundary. How long will the food and vegetables last? What if workers maintaining water systems sat at home and there was no drinking water? Will you still ask for extended lockdown? If no, why? Is it because it is affecting you badly now and was not affecting you before? What if people maintaining electricity went on strike saying they wanted to sit at home because they are afraid of getting the virus? Do you like sitting in blackouts for days? Still in favour of lockdown?

Daily movement of trucks has collapsed to less than 10% of normal levels, according to All India Motor Transport Congress, an umbrella body of goods vehicle operators representing about 10 million truckers.

Let me show some reality here. Transport sector is running at just 10% capacity with all trucks at standstill. Police and administration (being as stupid as they are) beat these 10% people who still ply trucks and make life even miserable for them. How long will it take for these 10% guys to stop giving a damn and completely stop plying is anyone's guess. Some companies are still producing goods. But all of them are stuck in warehouses since there is no labour - the poor folk who carry 25KG bags on their heads and transport it from one place to another. So it's just another matter of time till all stocks of everything not being transported gets over. Even if you have lakhs of rupees in your bank, it wont matter since you still wont get anything to eat after a few days. I doubt cash has any nutritional value to it. If you think it has, get some and try eating it.

Another reality that everyone is overlooking. How many people have died of the virus? Just see the latest tally below.

Just 149 deaths. Now imagine the number of people who will die of starvation and not get counted by your govt or experts in their statistics. How much do you think it will be? 100, 1000, 10000?
Do you think it is wise to kill 1000+ people of starvation when just 150 have died due to the virus? Is it okay for poor to die because the govt is afraid of a few hundred deaths but blind to a few thousand deaths?

Kerala, which has been battling coronavirus for two months has seen just two deaths from the infection so far, but within three days of non-availability of liquor due to lockdown, more than six people, mostly youngsters below 40, have committed suicide.

6 vs 2. You cannot bring back dead people to life. If say 1000+ people died due to no money, no jobs, suicide etc due to extended lockdown, how many think any minister or anyone will feel bad for them? Are they expendable?
If they are expendable, so are you. No one should be forced to stay at home just because the govt is afraid of looking at a large number of infections or deaths. Even if 1000 died due to the virus, it is still lower than the amount that will die due to starvation or no jobs or suicide. How long before people who have taken loans for houses or shops or other stuff start killing themselves? People will still have to pay loans with interest. Getting money in the bank has come to a standstill now. Imagine paying 30-50k per month without a job. If 1 or 10 lakh people lost their jobs at the same time due to factories or offices shutting down due to losses, how long before all of them get back their jobs? Some will never get their jobs because their jobs will go to younger people who will work for lower wages. Some jobs will not be filled for ever. Already India was in recession from past year. On top of this, this govt has taken really bad decisions to kill even more jobs. Others losing their jobs doesn't bother you? What if you or your friend or spouse or relative lost your job? Still want an indefinite lockdown?

Anyone thinking logically will not opt for a lockdown. Only mentally retarded people will think and do such stupid things. This country is run by idiots. No direction whatsoever. It's like Titanic. Half is already sunk. Rest half is sinking. I hope I die soon. My bad luck being born in the stupidest country on the planet. Wish I was born somewhere else.

Member

China has implemented a lock-down successfully: Ours not to reason why, ours is to do or die! In any country, follow orders issued by the govt - don't get creative. The time for creativity is BEFORE THE Pandemic.

That said: a national lock-down cannot be implemented in practical terms BUT WE CAN STILL protect vulnerable populations!
1. Volunteer to help the govt by turning over property to national cause.
2. Donate items/furniture etc to run field hospitals - military style
3. Study and Work the fields. Educated people should volunteer for village service to run schools - India is largely agrarian so.. it can be done - this will de-congest cities and reduce density of population.

Anyway, I have volunteered our/family house via PGPortal - to the Ministry of Health and Family Planning so.. if more middle class people volunteer we can all work together and do something about this.

Lock down is govt treating citizens like they were kids. This upsets some people

Some places treat their citizens like adults. This scares some people

I was studying policy in the US and India is so simple compared to there where each state can make its own policy so there is no way to enforce a national lock down. All Trump can do is recommend something. He cannot impose 'aaj raat bara baje' like stuff on the entire country !!

Most have closed schools & unis, bars, gyms, night clubs but some want to keep the beaches open. The restaurants open only up to 50%

For such a policy to work you have to test much faster than people get infected.

As you find positives the infected are taken out of circulation. They cannot infect any one.

This is how some countries are proceeding without having full lock downs. Sweden, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore etc.

Even China did not have a full lock down. Just Wuhan and its province Hubei had a complete lock down. Cannot leave your housing complex like lock down

Which is not the case in India.

It always boils down to the question whether the extra lives you save are worth the economic hit incurred by shutting down a major portion of the economy ?

There is no scientific evidence that lock downs work. We might get some evidence now but otherwise there are only mathematical models.

What does work is quarantine and this can be proven just by using maths.

People get nervous that number of cases are low in India because we have not tested enough.

Keep in mind, the amount of people we have in quarantine presently exceeds 100,000 and is rising. I estimate that as i heard it was already at 80,000 as of Mar 16 which is three weeks ago. Without testing we already have that many locked up. They cannot infect others. They are suspects and if they manage the two weeks without symptoms they are free to go.

Well-Known Member

Edit:- Only hotspots in these districts will be sealed completely wef from midnight. Only medical team, police and officials will be allowed there. I think they are going to test everyone in these hotspots door by door.

Agree that symptom show too late. But periodical lockdown should work rather than a enforcing very strictly for long weeks.
The only point I wanted to highlight is, not just medicals and groceries but also keep other shops opened may be for a very limited time like 1-2 hrs per day.
During this lockdown period its quite obvious people are looking for services like plumbers, electricians then getting spares likes chargers, tubes, phone repairs, basic electrical equipments, etc. likewise now coolers and Acs are essentials to beat the summers given every home is jam packed with members filling every room. Then basic grooming as well counts as none of us wants to look like any naga sadhu in coming months right?
One cannot ignore clothing as well, not talking about trendy shopping like jeans/blazer etc. but bare necessities like regular undies, ganjis etc.

So govt. already are doing good, should as well take the above factors into considerations and shall continue with periodical lockdowns until situation is safe.

Member

some more suggestions..
1. open shops and such full 24 hrs - and follow distancing guidelines
2. schedule goods pickups/cash-drop-offs in advance (remember cash has to be sanitized eventually) via email
3. grooming is important anyway because the virus can stick to hair (moustache, beard etc)

Agreed on following every step the government tells us to follow within reason.

I think the government took the right decision by implementing the lockdown and now they have managed to step up the testing as well.

But the government is between a rock and a hard place when it comes to extending the full-scale lockdown.

Extend the lockdown and vital supplies will start running out and people living on their meager savings start dying. After some time the middle class runs out of supplies and they start disobeying the lockdown as well leading to further deaths. If you bring the economy into play here then the picture is even worse.

If they don't extend the lockdown then this disease will spread fast and kill a lot of people.

Man.... I really don't envy whoever in the government has to make those decisions. In a sense these decisions are tougher than wartime decisions.

Well-Known Member

In a perfect world everyone would wash their hands, not touch their nose, eyes in public and then touch something else. I increasingly see people walking around not for grocery but just walking, with the majority not wearing mask.

If we where to move on, Indian should stop spitting on roads, stop chewing/spitting that thing they by from cigarette/tea shops, There should be a hefty fine for breaking this. Everyone should wear masks, including work places.

People who can WFH should continue do so. Public transport should be opened in a phased manner with social distancing inside the buses and trains, touchless hand sanitizers located in buses and metro or fully body mist spary systems at bus and metro terminals. Malls, theaters, weddings, parties etc which are purely for entertainment purpose should remain closed for a few more months.

Super markets, home appliance/electronics stores, service centers etc can open, do not allow anyone inside without a mask, keep hand sanitizers outside the entrance.

In hot spots like mumbai, lock down should continue. You think those people who crowd the trains are going to listen and maintain physical distance or wear masks, I highly doubt it.

India should also start making several lakh liters of alchol based hand santizers every day before they lift the lock down.

Former dragon chaser

With extension of the lockdown, India is just delaying the inevitable.
AFAIK India has 22 hotspots. They could have withdrawn the lockdown in stages.
I still strongly believe, this decision of lockdown and specially the possible extension is just to hide the really bad state of health care system.
The virus is not going to just go away anytime soon.
Received some videos of doctors treating suspected patients in a major Kolkata hospital.
They are all going to get infected with this kind of protection.

India's financial hub Mumbai is set to extend lockdown measures until at least April 30 as authorities race to expand testing to stem the spread of coronavirus cases in the city, three senior officials said.